Max Holste MH.1521 Broussard


The Max Holste MH.1521 Broussard is a 1950s French six-seat utility monoplane designed by Max Holste to meet a French Army requirement.

Design and development

Following the end of the Second World War, Avions Max Holste designed and built a new two-seat trainer and tourer aircraft, the Max Holste MH.52, of which only small numbers were built. Holste then responded to a French Army requirement for an artillery spotter aircraft for a lightweight liaison and observation aircraft. The resulting design, the MH.152, had a fuselage based on that of the MH.52 and a high-mounted wing. It was powered by a Salmson 8 As.04 engine and had an enclosed, fully-glazed cabin seating a pilot and four passengers. A prototype flew on 12 June 1951. While it demonstrated good short-field performance, the French Army's needs had changed, with it now requiring a robust utility aircraft similar to the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver.
As a result, the company decided to develop a slightly larger version, the MH.1521 with the engine changed to a Pratt and Whitney Wasp Junior, which at provided almost twice as much power and a slab-sided fuselage giving room for up to seven seats. The MH.1521 is a braced high-wing monoplane with twin vertical tail surfaces. It has a fixed tailwheel landing gear and is powered by a nose-mounted Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial piston engine. It first flew on 17 November 1952. It was later named the Broussard. Its development was enthusiastically supported at a political level by WWII fighter ace and French war hero Pierre Clostermann, a close friend of Max Holste. Clostermann wrote a faction novel, "Leo 25 Airborne", based on his experiences flying Broussards with Escadrille ELO 3/45 in Algeria.
The first production aircraft made its maiden flight on 16 June 1954, and 363 were built before production ended in 1961. Its similarity to the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver in looks, capability and performance led it to be nicknamed "the French Beaver".

Operational history

It saw service in the Algerian War as an Army cooperation aircraft, with more than 150 deployed, mostly as an artillery spotter and in an air supply/ambulance role, where its good short-field performance and resistance to ground fire were required. Its distinctive sound, made by its noisy radial engine and large propeller, was a disadvantage as the Algerian guerrillas could hear its approach long before other aircraft.
Following Algerian independence in 1963, the Algeria-based Broussards returned to France, where they were used for liaison aircraft, while many of France's surplus Broussards were transferred to newly independent ex-French colonies. The Broussard remained in service with the French Air Force until December 1987, and with the French Army until December 1993, while the French Navy retired its last examples in 1996. Civil-owned Broussards can still be seen in Denmark, France, the UK, and the United States being operated by enthusiasts or collectors.
It saw combat on Portuguese Guinea for the Portuguese Air Force as well during the independence war acting mostly as an artillery spotter and in an air supply/ambulance role also as observation plane, it was retired during the 60's when the newer Do-27 became available.

Variants

;MH.152
;MH.1521
;MH.1521A
;MH.1521C
;MH.1521M
;MH.1522
;MH.153

Operators

Military operators

Civil operators

Surviving aircraft

  • CEV-05 oldest existing MH-1521, previously preserved at Melun, France, exported to Canada. Now in the UK as G-CLLK.
  • N98BF stored at Kankakee, IL, USA.
  • N345ZB flying in Orange, MA, USA.
  • N811MH is located in Elbert, Colorado.
  • Unknown is located at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo in Kalamazoo Michigan. On outdoor display marked as 13-TB.
  • F-RHDB stored in private terrain, previously preserved at the Aviation Museum in Mas Palegry, France.
  • F-GIBF on display at Orange Air Base Museum, Orange, France.
  • HB-RSL was stationed in Biel-Kappelen, Switzerland and in flying condition but was destroyed in a hangar fire on July 3, 2016.
  • F-BOHP is located in Lunéville, France.
  • F-SCAA is stored at Bordeaux, France.
  • F-GJBF is located in Reims, France, this aircraft was used for filming Belle and Sebastian 2.
  • F-RHDA stored at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Le Bourget, France.
  • G-CBGL is located at Bruntingthorpe, United Kingdom.
  • LV-X769 is registered as an experimental aircraft in Argentina. It's in flying conditions as of March 2024.
  • N4022 US FAA registered to a German company but parked at Hollister, California as of Nov 2024.
  • F-SCCB previously preserved as gate guard at Valence, France, dismantled & offered for sale as restoration project.
  • F-GGKH is located in Pithiviers, France.
  • F-GJLT Restoration work had begun but was halted because the fuselage was in such poor condition that it is now on display to the public during open days in Limoges, France.
  • F-GFMN is located in Limoges, France.
  • F-GHFG is located in Montceau-les-Mines, France.
  • F-GKJT is located in Maconge, France.
  • F-BNEX is located at Lelystad, Netherlands with French registration.
  • N118MH is registered in Caldwell, Idaho, USA in flying condition.
  • F-GGGK under restoration in Lituania.
  • G-HOUR Owned by Bremont, United Kingdom.
  • G-TNUP flies from Headcorn Aerodrome, United Kingdom.
  • F-UHKE, stored in private terrain in France, previously preserved at Noyant, France as gate guardian.
  • G-YYYY flies from Eggesford, UK in 2010.
  • N246MH 1960 is located in Friendswood, Texas, USA and in flying condition.
  • N261BN is located in Lake Stevens, Washington, USA in flying condition.
  • F-GJJM is located at Brasschaat, Belgium with markings 35.17 and is for sale as of August 2025.
  • OY-SLV is located in Tarm, Denmark and in flying condition.
  • 3301. Bought by Portuguese Air Force in 1960, delivered in March or April 1961, withdrawn from service in 1976. Preserved, donated to the Portuguese National Aviation Museum, where it remains in storage.
  • 3302. Bought by Portuguese Air Force in 1960, delivered in March or April 1961, withdrawn from service in 1976. Preserved, donated to the Portuguese National Aviation Museum, where it remains in storage.
  • 3303. Bought by Portuguese Air Force in 1960, delivered in March or April 1961, withdrawn from service in 1976. Destination unknown. Probably destroyed in an accident or dismantled.
  • 3304. Bought by Portuguese Air Force in 1960, delivered in March or April 1961, withdrawn from service in 1976. Preserved and donated to the Portuguese National Aviation Museum, where it remains on display at the museum's Sintra branch.